PBS Kids’ “Odd Squad” is a Hit with Children and Families

In January, children and families across the country tuned in to CPTV for the premiere of “Odd Squad Saves the World,” a special one-hour event from the new PBS KIDS live-action math series, ODD SQUAD. Nationally, more than 3.7 million viewers* watched the ODD SQUAD kid agents save the day in the new special, which premiered locally on CPTV, January 19 at 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. That week, “Odd Squad Saves the World” was the country’s top-rated special across all kids’ demographics*.

ODD SQUAD airs weekdays on CPTV and is also available on various digital platforms**. During the “Odd Squad Saves the World” special event, there were over 44.5 million*** video streams spanning these multiple platforms, while over 1.7 million*** users visited the ODD SQUAD website (pbskids.org/oddsquad).

ODD SQUAD joins the multiple Emmy Award-winning series, PEG + CAT, as part of PBS KIDS’ ongoing commitment to helping kids build the math skills they need to succeed in school and in life. ODD SQUAD is a live-action series designed to help kids 5-8 build math, problem-solving and collaboration skills. The series focuses on two young agents, Olive and Otto, who are part of Odd Squad, an agency whose mission is to investigate unusual occurrences. A math concept is embedded in each of their cases, as Olive and Otto work together to problem-solve and set things right. ODD SQUAD premiered on CPTV in November 2014 and airs weekdays at 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

“In just a few months since it has premiered, ODD SQUAD has provided our CPTV Kids viewers with rich, educational multimedia content,” said Carol Sisco, V.P. of Corporate Communications, CPTV. “ODD SQUAD is a perfect example of the holistic and integrated approach we take to engaging children across multiple platforms. Kids are able to tune in to ODD SQUAD on CPTV and continue the adventure online, learning valuable math and collaboration skills to support lessons gained during the on-air broadcast.”

ODD SQUAD is created by Tim McKeon (Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Adventure Time, The Electric Company) and Adam Peltzman (The Electric Company, The Backyardigans, Wallykazam!) and produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment and The Fred Rogers Company.

ODD SQUAD is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and the U.S. Department of Education through the CPB-PBS Ready To Learn Initiative, a program that supports the development of innovative educational television and digital media targeted to preschool and early elementary school children and their families, especially those from low-income communities.